On Saturday, Cowboys fans got to see the much anticipated debut of LB Jaylon Smith. It has been a long time coming for the former Notre Dame standout. During his final game in college, the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, he took a cheap shot from former Ohio State tackle Taylor Decker and suffered what many thought was a career ending injury. Thought to be a top five pick in the 2016 draft, Smith saw his draft stock plummet in all the expert mock drafts. The Dallas Cowboys surprised all of those experts when they drafted Smith in the second round last year.
The Cowboys were heavily criticized for taking a chance on Smith. After all there were plenty of talented players available who could have actually played for them last year if they drafted them such as pass rusher Noah Spence and linebacker Myles Jack. Instead they opted to draft a player with tremendous upside but risked wasting a high draft pick on an injured player.
Whether you were a fan of the Jaylon Smith selection or not, he has won a lot of people over the past year with his positive attitude and hard work and he has shown flashes of superstar potential. Everyone is rooting for this kid and Saturday was a great moment for him. “It’s a blessing to be out here. It is a blessing to play for America’s team” said Jaylon Smith following his performance against the Colts.
Smith played only 12 plays but did make an immediate impact with a big third down stop on the first series. He did look a little rusty on occasion when he overran the play a couple of times, but at the same time he stood out as lightning quick. The biggest concern for him was how we would handle making tackles or engaging blockers. The biggest test for him I felt, was when he narrowly missed a tackle for loss in the backfield. After missing the tackle he followed the play behind the line of scrimmage and ended up on the bottom of the pile of tacklers. I must admit that my heart skipped a beat or two on that play but I was happy to see him emerge unscathed.
Now that he has gotten that first game out of the way, he can work slowly towards getting back in game shape. It will take time but that was a key first step for him. As exciting as it is to watch him play, and hope for him to emerge as a star in this league, that just won’t happen overnight. Unfortunately, the expectations that will now be placed on him by many Cowboy fans to become an All-pro this season are inevitable. However, the fact that he has made it back on the field at all is the most amazing story of all.
So looking back at the 2016 draft, did Dallas make the right decision selecting Smith? That question may never be answered, after all hind sight is 20 to 20, but the “clear eye view” is what we see in front of us. And what we see is that the Cowboys have drafted a talented player, who works hard and has a ton of heart.